"Lilliput" cutlery set

c. 1866

This fork and knife set is named after Lilliput, the fictional island with tiny inhabitants in Gulliver's Travels (1726) by Jonathan Swift. Lilliput was at war with its neighboring island over which end of a boiled egg should be eaten first. "Lilliput" became a popular term for miniature, as well as a subtle reference to dining etiquette. The inscription on the box of this small flatware set indicates it was given as a Christmas present in 1866.